Bird Flu Outbreak: Mutton and fish price, demand surge in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh

The recent bird flu outbreak has significantly altered consumer behaviour, especially with regard to the demand for poultry products in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Due to concerns surrounding chicken and eggs, chicken consumption has drastically decreased, which has resulted in a dramatic decline in chicken prices. But this change has led to a sharp increase in demand for other protein sources like fish and mutton, which has raised prices significantly in both markets.

The bird flu scare has caused mutton prices in Hyderabad to soar. According to several buyers in Hyderabad, mutton used to cost Rs 700-800 per kilogramme before the outbreak, but today it is costing around Rs 1,200 per kilogramme, an increase of around Rs 400. "The bird flu scare has increased demand for mutton. It can also rise more, as the wedding season is approaching,” said a mutton shop owner in LB Nagar.

A similar pattern has been seen in the fish market as well. Demand has skyrocketed at Hyderabad's fish market, where vendors sell about 60 tonnes of fish in a single day as opposed to the typical 40 tonnes. The cost of popular fish kinds like Rava and Bocha has increased by Rs 20–40 per kilogramme. Similar to this, the cost of Apollo fish has gone up from Rs 240 to Rs 360 per kilogramme in Visakhapatnam, while the cost of popular fish like Vanjaram and Konam has climbed from Rs 300 to 400 to Rs 600 to 700. Additionally, the price of bocha fish, a mainstay in local markets, has increased from Rs 120 to Rs 170 per kilogramme, News18 reported.

These trends have been most apparent in the wholesale fish markets of the twin cities. Daily arrivals at the Ramnagar and Begum Bazaar markets now reach up to 600 tonnes, with around 80% of the stock consisting of freshwater fish varieties such as Catla, Rohu, and Mrigal, and the remainder coming from coastal regions, primarily sourced from Andhra Pradesh.